Swimming bath



June 11, 1935. G. E. MoRGANs SWIMMING BATH 5 Sheets-Sheet l my A Q.

June l1, 1935. Q E, MORGANS 2,004,825

SWIMMING BATH Filed Oct. 23, 1934 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 June 11, 1935. Q MQRGANS SWIMMING BATH Filed'OCt. 25, 1934 Patented June 11, 1935 Y 1 UNIT ED y STATES PAT ENTojFFlcE f 'Application october es, 1934, serial No. .749,638 InvGreat BrtainNovember 11, 1933 This, inventionprelates to theconstruction and passes to afpurication'and heatingplantfrom arrangement of swimming baths and has for its which it may be returned to the swimming bath object the provision of a swimming bathin which through the inlet channel. 'l 1 the Whole of contaminated Water contained there- The draweoff or collector. channel is preferably in may be removed and replaced by Dure Water in mad-e throughoutitslength of varying cross-sec? 5 any predetermined period of time by'me'ans vofa tion so as to accommodate the varying volume of uniform and constant flow. n y water passingthrough it. HFor instance, at the According to the invention a swimming bath points near the` outletsffro'rn theductsor `pipes is provided in its base with a centrally located leading fromv the outlet channelA the cross-sec?A inlet channel-through which water is admitted tional area may be proportionately increased, lo to the bath, and an outlet 'channel disposed since the volume of water is greater'at and after aroundthe periphery of the bath in (i. e; at "0r thosepoints owing tothe -accumulation of water near) the said base. The outlet channel may owing from sev-eral ducts.` The collector chancommunicate Withan external draw-off `orvcolnel` may alsobe made largeienough to accomf5; lector conduit'loc'ated close toybut belowthe nor-I modate pipes for freezing water over lthe area.

mall water level of the bath. The inletchannel of. theswimrning` bath if desired. may consist of a pipe of, sary,rmetal orv earthen- A scum trough may be provided around the ware having orices along `itsv'upper sri-de through periphery oithebath at a levelslightlyabovefthe which they water issues intor thel bath'in an upnormalV top/water .surface vlevelfof fthe waterfin War-dfstream, or it may consist ofva troughjlof the bath, and may be connectedy to'thedrawfoi 20 cated in the base of the bath covered with re ork collectorl channel .byrnsuitableducts through movable plates or covers constructed s ay, ofmetal which water lapping 4over into the scum trough or earthenware or glass, and formed with'f'holes from rthejrbath due to indueedrorfnatural Wave through which the water .enters thebath 'in'an action, may Vb'epassed into the collector channel,

upward stream. v This channel may' be construct'- carrying :with it any scum, frothorthe like, which 25 ed with suitably Varying cross-sectional areas may be present in' the-Water, orsuchLwater may be l either by wideningit or deepening it 'to' corre# allowed to run to waste.' ,'Ihewater if solcollected spondlwith the volume of water flowing through joins the water` alreadyreceived by the collector` it, and the said orices may valso be `suitablyvaried channel from rthe-.outletchannel and is passed-to in cross-sectional area 'so as to control the rate thepurification,plant. v v

of ilow ofl water into the bath. j The floor-of the swimming bath may be slightly The inlet channel may extend along-the base archedtov ensure that any solid.. matters Ywill of the bath frthe whole or the greaterfpart'of gravitate laterally `to the peripherally arranged its length or it may only so extend fora shorter outlet channels.v .4 Drainagev sinksv arev provided,

portion. It `mayalso be formed W'ith`0ne or and in constructions in which the floor is thus 35 more branches extending in any desired direc arched, preferablyone at each side of the bath tion. i i at its greatest depthfandconnec'ted together by The 'outlet channel, which preferably consists a channel or duct, to a sump through which the of a trough covered with plates perforated with water` may bedrawn off `by gravity-or by means of 40 holes or orices as in the vcaseoi. the inlet chan-f afpump, for the purpose of draining the swim- 40 nel, surrounding partly or in whole the periphery ming.. bath when required. The said drainage of the bath, ormay be a pipecOnStruCted say, of sinksr may .be connectedv together by means of metal or earthenware"havingk holes or' orices aduct passing beneath the floorV of the swimming pierced through its sides throughout its whole bath and covered with.removableplateshavingl length or part thereof, is connected at a number oricesif desired in `order toy allow the entrance 45 of points by means of'ducts or pipes to'a collector of-water into .the said duct to' facilitate the flow or draw-off channel which, in one exampleY of of. thefsolid mattersinto` the` sump.- t i construction, is located around the swimming bath The collector channel may. be arranged to -colat a level only slightly lower than thetop water lect andy carry off the water dropped on to the level of the water in the swimming bath outside footway or pavement by bathers emerging from 50 its periphery', and under the' footway or pavethe `swimming bath,l -by covering the collector `ment surrounding the bath. The water may be channel with yperforated cover4 plates of kmetal vdrawn offfrom the draw-,off channel at oneor or earthenware or'wood, or other suitable matemore points by means of pumps or by gravity acrial, which may. form the pavement or part'therecording to the particular site and level, Vand thence of, andrby .suitably sloping-the remainder koftv the 55 lll pavement towards the collector channel to ensure the gravitational flow of such dropped water linto the collector channel.

Suitable grids may be inserted at various points between the outlet channel and the filters to prevent large solid matters in suspension reaching the lter beds.

In order to maintain the regular desired rate of now of the water and thereby to replace and levacuate the varying volumes of water to be .displaced at the varying portions of the swimming bath owing to the varying depths of the swimming bath, either the cross-sectional area of the orifices in the cover plates both of the inlet and of the outlet channels at the said varying portions of the swimming bath, may be varied, or the number of the said orices increased or decreased in proportion to the volume of water to be displaced at all the said portions of the bath'. Similarly,rin, order that the varying volumes of waterjevacuated at varying portions of the bath due tothe varying'depths may pass through lthe ducts leading from'4 the outer outlet channel to the collector channel, either the cross-sectional areasjof they said ducts may be varied or the number ofwthe d ucts for any given length of periphery increased or decreased as required.

The invention will now be described with reference to the forms of construction illustrated, by way of example, inthe accompanying drawings, 4in which:-

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a bath according to this invention. Y

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section on the line 2--2 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a cross-section on` the line 3-3 in Fig 1. Y

Flgql is a plan Viewv of a modiiied construction.

xFig. 5 is a `longitudinal section on the line 5f-'5inFig.4. f f Fig. 6 is a` cross-section on the line 6-6 yin Fig. 7 isa plan View of another ymodified construction. 1

Fig, is a plan view of a further modification.

Like parts are indicatedV by the same references throughout thevariousviews. l

v In the construction shown in Figs. 1-3, the inlet conduit a for the puried water` supplied to the bath communicatesy with an inlet channel consisting of a trough b whichextends longitudinally in the centre of the base of the bath. "This trough bis provided with a removable strainer b1 disposed ush with the base dofl the bath.' The trough b is made of progressively decreasing cross-sectional area by tapering it from a point near to the inlet a where thechannel is o1' maximum depth to a point remote from the inlet a where it is of minimum depth, to correspond with the volume of ywater owing through the channel at the different points. 'I'he inlet channel extends for a greater part of the length of the bath but' both of its ends arev spaced apart from the ends of the bath.

The outlet channel consistsY of a A-troughc extending completely around the periphery of the bath at the base of the side walls d and the end walls d1 of the bath. Ihis outlet trough is covered with removable strainer c1 which is ush with the base d2 of the bath.

Said outlet channel c is Vcommunicated at a number of points by means of the upwardly inclined ducts e with ak collector channelwhich is in the form of a trough f disposed externally of the bath, i. e. in the footway f1 surrounding the four sides of the bath, this trough extending to a level only slightly lower than the level of the water in the swimming bath.' The footway slopes slightly to the collector channel to ensure drainage of water dropped on to the footway by bathers leaving the bath. 'I'he water from the collector` channel is drawn oi through the outlet g througlr which it passes to a purification or heating plant before being returned through the inlet channel a to the bath.

The usual scum trough d3 around the periphery of the bath is in communication with the collector channel at a number of points around the bath by means of the ducts h. Drainage sinks i are provided at each side of the bath at its greatest depth, these sinks being connected together by a duct i1 to a sump i2 communicating with a drain i3 for the purpose of draining the Y swimming bath when required.

, In the construction illustrated inFigs. 4-,6the puried waterinlet conduit a communicates at oneendof the' bath with the trough b forming `the inlet channel. fIny this case, therefore, one

end lofthe"trouglrb and its strainer bl, adjacent the inlet d, extends right up to the end Walid1 of the bath, while the other end Yremote from v the inleta doesnot extend completely yto the oppositeend ofthe bath but is splayed out to,

,provide two branches b2 extendingtowards the oppositeA sides of-,the bath. In this construction, the trough Vc forming the'` outlet channel does not Vextend ,completely around theperiphery of thebatlbut,` at the end of the bathadjacent the inlet a, thistrough terminates near the sides of the bath.A -In vthis construction also, the inlet and'outletf'passages a and glare arrangedone above the other. 4The base of the bath is also slightly archedto ensure that solid matters will gravitate laterally to the trough c beneath which there are formed the sinks i communicating with the transverse'passage i1 incommunication with the sump i2 and the drain i3. v The construction-illustrated in Fig. '7 is the samefas that in Figs. 4-6, kexcept that the collector channel` extends around one yside and two endsonly of the bath, the lfourth yside abutting enga verticalwall k. The water leaving the side ofthe outletcadjacent the wall k must, Yin this case, ow to one end of the bath where it is Yled through one of the ducts eto the collector channelat thisend of the bath. l

In theconstruction illustrated in Fig. 8, the bath is arranged between two walls marked l and Z1, one at either of its longitudinal sidesr and the collectorchannel fis disposed'at one end onlyvof the bath. In this case, the outlet channels m and m1 only extend along two opposite longitudinal sides of the bath and the water is' drawn off from these channels at the 'one end through the 'ducts le. y

The operation of the swimming `bath and the automatic circulation of the rwater contained therein is as follows. Purified 'fresh water enters at 'the bottom of the bath through the inlet channel? b, andin the case of warm water rising to .thesurfaceypasses by the leasiest route to the periphery of the bath,` and then downwardsto the outlet channel c. vThe ilow ismateriallyassistedfby natural forces,y the h'ot water issuing 'from thev inlet channel b' rising naturally to the surface, and being cooled in its passage I to the sides of the bath, sinking naturally to the outlet channel c; In the case of cold water the vertical flow from' the inlet channel is less vrapid and complete as thecold water `tend'sto now di-` rect to th 'outlet channelfbut :nevertheless'fis cicient. -The i complete vertical flow*` of r"cold, water lmay beH induced by'blowing air int'o the water at various` 'points alongnl'the ilength 'of *the inletv channel. By j suitably arranginglthe area of thepassages for the flow ofwaterto the; inlet and outletV channels; `after' taking :due *account of the various pressures andY volumes `of'water to loe displaced, due to thevarying depths below the surface, the' ow of' water l'canine made to be even, regular and constant, out of and into the orifices, and throughout the whole mass of water in the bath.

By means of the balance secured by the level of the collector channel, the only force necessitated to circulate the water in and out of the bath is that required to overcome the inertia of the mass of water and the frictional resistance vof the channels and ducts.

Owing to the far greater length yof the outlet channel c compared with that of the inlet channel b, the velocity of the water is gradually reduced as it approaches the outlet channel, and consequently the suction action of the water as it enters this channel is negligible, and all danger on this score is absent.

The eect of the method of circulation of water in the swimming bath is to linduce a ow outwards from the centre to the sides of the bath, so that all scum is carried tothe sides onthe surface, and discharged into the scum trough, while all the fine matters suspended in the body of the water are carried with the iiow to the outlet channel, and thus removed from the bath.

It will be appreciated that the whole of the water channels and ducts may be built in masonry or concrete, thereby avoiding all danger of corrosion or leaky joints, and the employment of these materials and the arrangement of the parts, is such that in most cases dirt or scum can be easily removed, thus enabling the ducts and channels to be cleaned merely by removal of the strainers, and the application of a scrubbing brush or mop.

Another advantage rests in the fact that the bather entering the water from the side of the bath, carrying with him germs or dirt, encounters a counter iiow of water towards the side of the bath which removes the germs or dirt from him and delivers them either into the outlet channel or into the scum trough, but not as in the ordinary swimming bath, into the centre of the bath where they are circulated in the water.

Swimming baths constructed according to the invention enable the whole volume of the water in the swimming bath to be changed in any unit of time merely by varying the speed of the water drawn from and admitted to the swimming bath. Furthermore, the water ilows in a closed circuit being used again and again, a factor of great economy in operation.

Instead oi connecting thewater inlet to the inlet channel at the deep end of the bath as in the constructions illustrated in the accompanying drawings, the inlet may be connected to .the inlet channel at the shallow end or at any interimediate point along the length ofthe inlet channel either from below or` from either side ofthe bath.

What I claim as my invention anddesire to secure by Letters Patent is:- f

l. A swimming bath having an inlet in the centre of its base, a collector channel disposed externally of: saidY bath slightly-below the' water levellol the b'atligan outlet disposed'around they periphery of thebase of the bathlandin com-- m-un'ic'ationlwith said-collector ychanneled as to supply the?waterl leaving said bath? to ther `collector? channel andi conduits Vfor `conducting Ipure w'aterto the 'central inlet and forremovmg impur-lwater trom the' collectorchannel. Y v

2. -A "swimming ubath havingan" inlet Q trough extending longitudinally in the centre of its-ibase; an "outlet'disposed around thewhole ofthe Aperiphery of the base oi the bath, a collector channel disposed externally of the hath and extending around the whole ofthe `periphery of the bath slightly below its water level, ksaid collector channel being in communication with said outlet and conduits-for conducting pure water to the central inlet and for removing impure water from the collector channel. v v

3. A swimming bath having a central inlet in its base, an outlet disposed around the periphery of the base of the bath, a collector channel disposed externally of said bath slightly below its water level and in communication with said out# let, a footway on at least one side of the bath sloping to the collector channel so as to ensure drainage of water from the footway to said channel, a strainer for said collector channel, and conduits for conducting pure water to the central inlet and for removing impure water from said collector channel.

4. A swimming oath having an inlet extending longitudinally in the centre of the bath, an outlet disposed around the periphery of the base of the bath, conduits for conducting pure water to said inlet and for removing impure water from f.. ci

said outlet, an arched floor sloping from each side of the inlet to the outlet at the longitudinal sides oi` the bath adapted to allow solid matters to gravitate to the outlet at the sides of the bath,

and drainage sinks at each side of the bathy ythrough which the water and said solid matters can bev drained away.

5. A swimming bath having an inlet extending longitudinally in the centre of the'bottom of the bath, an outlet disposed around the periphery of the bottom ofthe bath, a collector channelslightly below the water level of the bath and in com` municationl with said outlet, a footway around the sides of the bath sloping to the collector' channel so as to ensure drainage of water .from the footway to said channel, a strainer for said collector channel, conduits for conductingv pure water to the central inlet and for .removing impure water from said collector channel, `an arched oor sloping from each sidey of the inlet to the outlet at the longitudinal sides of the bath adapted to allow solid matters to gravitate to the outlet and drainage sinks at each side ofthe bath adapted to permit removal of said solid matters.

v6. A swimming bath having an inlet trough extending longitudinally inthe centre of the bottom of the bath, an outlet trough disposed around the periphery of the bottom of the bath, a collector trough surrounding the bath, slightly below its water level and in communication atintervals with said outlet, a footway surrounding the bath sloping to the collector trough so as to ensure drainage of water from the footway to said collector trough, strainers for each of said troughs, and conduits :for conducting pure water to the inlet trough and for removing impure water from said collector trough.

7. A swimming bath having a central inlet in 10 lector channel.

8. A swimming bath having an inlet inthe centre o1' its base, outlets disposed around at least two sides of the periphery of the base of the'bath,4 a.' collector channel disposed externally of said bath and communicating through ducts with said outlets and conduits for conducting pure water to said inlet and for removing impure water from said collector channel, whereby 'the water is induced to ow outwards from the centre to said two sides kof v'the bath.

GODFREY EWART MORGANS. 

